Brian Harris, trailblazing photojournalist and EPUK founder member whose images for  British newspapers  captured the defining events of the last fifty years has died, aged 72.

A photojournalist of singular vision and quiet integrity, whose work chronicled many of the most pivotal events of modern history. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the famine in Sudan and the chaos of war-torn Yugoslavia, Brian stood apart from his contemporaries with his principled, intelligent visual storytelling.

Brian's images, understated, often gently ironic, but always composed with care and humanity became emblematic of the values of The Independent newspaper where he served as its first Chief Photographer from 1986 to 1999.

Brian died on October 4th 2025 from complications related to prostate cancer, an illness he documented and spoke about with typical candour. Even as his health declined, he continued to photograph, write, and reflect on the ethics of his craft, never losing his fascination with  what he called “the alchemy of the darkroom” or the “power of a well-timed frame”.

Born in London in 1953 and raised in Essex, Brian was encouraged in his creative pursuits by his parents. He initially aspired to be a cartoonist but was drawn to photography as a teenager, photographing weddings and local football matches. By 16, he had taken a job as a messenger boy for Fox Photos in Fleet Street, and within a few years was freelancing for national titles including The Sun, The Times, and the BBC,covering everything from celebrity press calls to IRA bombings in Northern Ireland.

In 1976, at the age of 25, he became the youngest staff photographer at The Times. During his eight years at the paper, he documented the Rhodesian civil war, the aftermath of the Falklands conflict, and the devastating famines in Ethiopia and Sudan. It was his work in the latter, images he felt were compromised by editorial choices that prompted him to leave the paper in protest, disillusioned by what he saw as the sanitisation of suffering.

Finding a more compatible home as Chief Photographer at The Independent, which launched in 1986 with a commitment to sober, intelligent journalism, Brian helped shape its visual identity in its early years, and produced some of its most enduring images. These included the breach of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and the wars in the Balkans.

He also covered two decades of British general elections and four U.S. presidential campaigns. One of his most iconic images captured Labour leader Neil Kinnock tripping during the 1992 election campaign - an unguarded, humanising moment that exemplified Brian's’s eye for the quietly revelatory.

After leaving The Independent in 1999, Brian continued to work as a freelance photographer, adapting to the shift toward digital media while maintaining his analogue roots. A founder of the British Press Photographers’ Association (BPPA), and Editorial Photographers UK (EPUK) he remained a staunch advocate for photographic ethics and editorial independence, whilst working on his own long-form projects.

Brian's magnum opus, Remembered (9781858943749), created in collaboration with author Julie Summers and commissioned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, documented war cemeteries and memorials across 23 countries. The resulting book and exhibition was opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II , whom Brian personally guided through the images.

In 2016 Brian published his auto-biography And Then the Prime Minister Hit Me… (978-0957540552) combining more than 200 images with reflections on his 50-year career. It received critical acclaim for its candid, often wry portrait of life behind the lens in Fleet Street and beyond. 

Always keen to help younger photographers, Brian remained a prolific presence on social media and photography forums, often documenting everyday life, and engaging in lively debates on platforms such as The Moral Maze on BBC Radio 4.

Brian is survived by his partner, Nikki, who co-edited his memoir and supported his work, and his son Jacob, who captured intimate portraits of his Dad in the latter stages of his illness.

In a 2024 Instagram post, Brian wrote: “I make pictures all the time... planning, thinking ahead, allowing for the cock-up.”

Through those pictures, Brain gave us more than just information, he gave us moments of unfiltered truth, seen with compassion, composed with care,and never at the expense of human dignity.